The FAA says it is investigating an incident involving a Southwest Airlines (SWA | WN) flight that descended too low during its approach to Tampa on 14 July. Southwest flight WN425 was on approach to Tampa International Airport when it flew as low as 150 feet 4.8 miles from the runway threshold, according to ADS-B data. An air traffic controller alerted the Southwest crew, noting their altitude was too low. The pilots conducted a go-around and ended up diverting to Fort Lauderdale.
How low did they go?
Granular ADS-B data recorded by Flightradar24 receivers (available for download below) in the area show a minimum barometric altitude of 150 ft AMSL at the aircraft’s lowest point. The aircraft descended to its lowest altitude just before passing over Courtney Campbell Sunset Point on the north side of the Campbell Causeway. For reference, the three preceding arrivals into Tampa’s Runway 10 flew over the same point at 1,225 ft AMSL.
A separate angle of all four flight paths shows the deviation of WN425 from the standard descent profile.
Downloadable Flightradar24 data
Weather conditions in Tampa
The weather in Tampa at the time was poor and getting worse. Thunderstorms were prevalent in the area and visibility was decreasing. The relevant METAR (below) indicated thunderstorms at the airfield.
| KTPA 142253Z 12009G17KT 10SM -TSRA FEW015 BKN040CB BKN250 25/23 A3013 RMK AO2 LTG DSNT ALQDS SLP203 CONS LTGICCCCG OHD AND ALQDS TS OHD AND ALQDS MOV NW P0002 T02500228= |
Aircraft information
Flight 425 was operated by a Boeing 737-8 MAX delivered to Southwest on 8 February 2023. The aircraft is powered by two CFM LEAP1-B engines.
